Madam, I like you.

　Chapter 227 A thief is a thief

　The Imperial Capital Folk Martial Arts Competition was an event that Esdeath applied to the Emperor for after returning to the Imperial Capital. The purpose of the event was to screen out the users of Minister Ernest's two remaining imperial artifacts to supplement the combat power of the special police force "Hunters" established by Esdeath.

　Mo Yankong killed two candidate members of the "Hunter", Hei Tong, an elite member of the Imperial Assassination Force, and Seleu Eubiquitas, a member of the Imperial Capital Guard, resulting in the "Hunter" organization being extremely short of combat power and unable to be put to positive use.

　Not to mention that the Imperial Capital's Folk Martial Arts Tournament was officially organized by the Empire. The fact that Esdeath was its initiator alone was enough to attract many talented individuals. For the Night Raid, Esdeath was a ruthless enemy. But in the eyes of the Imperial Capital's citizens and the Imperial soldiers, Esdeath was an unparalleled general, compassionate to her subordinates and kind to the common people. It was an absolute honor to serve under her.

　Shortly after the official announcement was posted, the imperial capital was abuzz with the incident. For the past few days, the empire's elite gathered, eager to participate in this martial arts competition.

　The bats created by Mo Yankong flew to various areas of the imperial capital, including the outer circle where refugees lived, the streets of the imperial capital, the inner circle where merchants and nobles lived, and the uppermost palace of the imperial capital where the emperor and ministers lived. After the army of bats flew to fixed locations, they dropped flyers, and a large number of flyers drifted in the wind and fell into residential areas.

　The children playing on the street were the first to notice the flyers falling from the sky. They looked at them curiously and ran after them.

　"Got it—got it—"

　"What is this? What does it say?"

　"This is···"

　"There's a woman painted on it, and she looks so familiar."

　"I know—I know—this is General Esdeath. Didn't Brother Crow take us to welcome her back to the imperial capital last time? It was such a lively scene. Brother Crow said his dream was to become a soldier of General Esdeath."

　1

　Passersby on the street also received this flyer one after another, and were so surprised when they saw the logo on it that they couldn't close their mouths.

　"This sign says night raid... Let me see... The target is General Esdeath. They even spell out the time and location. What a bunch of lawless lunatics."

　"Eh... I heard that Night Raid isn't an organization of chivalrous thieves that specializes in assassinating corrupt officials and evildoers in the Imperial Capital? Why are they targeting General Esdeath?!"

　A passerby was filled with righteous indignation. "A righteous thief! How ridiculous! A thief is a thief, and murder is murder. There's no distinction between good and evil. Randomly assassinating corrupt officials and evildoers is called righteousness? Should we applaud? Take the assassination of Captain Ou Jia for example. Without Captain Ou Jia, the streets he was in charge of became even more chaotic. The order in the imperial capital was disrupted, the morals were corrupted, and the people were in panic. If what was done during the night raid can be called justice, I'd rather not have this kind of justice gained by killing people!"

　The passers-by cheered: "Well said! And haven't you heard that the night raid is no longer satisfied with clearing out the evil people in the imperial capital. You all know Lord Feng Yuan, right?

　He was a rare good official, honest and fair, and he often used his salary to buy food and distribute it to the poor, but he was killed in a night raid a few days ago."

　"They are a killer organization. Don't have any strange expectations. They are just shedding their sheepskin to reveal their true colors."

　"The curfew was originally issued because of the night attack on the imperial capital. What a bunch of damn scum!" A passerby angrily tore up the leaflet, stepped on it, and still not satisfied, he spat a few times.

　"Well, even though the Imperial Capital is riddled with corruption, it's still better than other cities. I heard that Domran was attacked by a super-dangerous species. Although it's the Empire's largest water trade city, without the protection of an Imperial Artifact User, it can only watch helplessly as the city is destroyed. I guess another large number of refugees will be arriving in the Imperial Capital soon."

　"That's right. Several months ago, there was a famine in the south. The refugees were so hungry that they ate people. I don't want to live with a bunch of ogres."

　"Damn these refugees! Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise enough to keep them out of the city walls. Otherwise, they would have caused chaos in the imperial capital."

　"Don't say that. They're so pitiful. They're all our compatriots. Sigh—I just hope the empire can improve its environment one day. Even if there were similar incidents in the past, the empire could handle them well. Now, except for the imperial capital, most cities in the empire are in chaos."

　When talking about refugees, passers-by around sighed and shook their heads, with different attitudes that are hard to describe in words.

　Some passersby gloated: "Haha, these killers are simply courting death. They think that with just a few Imperial Artifact Users they can do whatever they want in the Imperial Capital. General Esdeath is the strongest Imperial Artifact User in the Empire, and she can just catch them all in one fell swoop!"

　"There's no telling how many talented fighters will be there on the day of the martial arts competition. Even the owner of the weapons shop next door is going to participate. He used to be a famous mercenary warrior in the northern border of the empire! A few petty thieves can be easily dealt with."

　"They are just a bunch of arrogant thieves, making a lot of noise to attract the crowd."

　In just a few hours, the flyers spread throughout the streets and alleys of the imperial capital, and all the residents of the imperial capital knew that the next target of the imperial capital killer organization was Esdeath, the strongest general in the empire.

　There were those who were curious, those who despised, those who spitted on, and those who cursed. The residents of the imperial capital all maintained a uniformly derogatory attitude towards the Night Raid leaflets. The reputation of the Night Raid had plummeted to a historic low, and it became a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to beat.

　Putting aside the official reaction of the empire, Esdeath is quite popular in the imperial capital. There is no need for the official to form a guard. The young people in the imperial capital spontaneously established the Esdeath Guard and planned to teach the Night Raid Killer a lesson in the imperial capital's folk martial arts competition.

　-

　Imperial Palace.

　Minister Ernest took a bite of the meat in his mouth and said, "Assassinating Esdeath... This is the funniest joke I've heard this year, hahahaha——"

　His face darkened. "Have those rats finally lost their patience? They killed a few of Esdeath's subordinates and thought Esdeath was just that. But choosing the right time for Esdeath to leave the imperial capital seems too coincidental. There must be some conspiracy..."

　"But it was Esdeath who assassinated her political opponent, and she was the one being targeted. This matter has nothing to do with me. If that warmongerer were to return to the capital and see this assassination notice, he would probably just laugh with excitement."

　Esdeath was trained by Minister Ernest, and the imperial weapon was also given to her by Minister Ernest. After working together for many years, he knows the character and strength of Esdeath, the warmongering woman, very well.

　The assassination of political enemies was Esdeath's idea and was carried out by Esdeath's subordinates. However, it cannot be said that he did not understand the situation. He sent out his personal executioner, Horsehead, in order to control the situation.

　He already knew that Esdeath's subordinates were killed in a night raid.

　Chapter 228: The Three Rakshasa Ghosts

　Royal Fist Temple

　When Xiao Hei stepped onto the stone steps in the forest and entered the mountain gate, there were already three people sitting there waiting. They were all wearing training clothes. There was a woman with a scar on her face, a huge strong man, and a gloomy and weird man wearing a strange mask. Together with Xiao Hei himself, they were the beings known as the Four Rakshasa Ghosts, the strongest practitioners in the Royal Fist Temple.

　The masked man asked in a sinister tone, "Ma Tou, why did you come back so late?"

　Xiao Hei shrugged, "The mission failed. The target was protected by the Night Raid's ace, Akagi, a former elite of the Imperial Assassination Force. We didn't have a chance to kill him."

　Ji stared at Xiao Hei coldly: "Since the mission failed, you should come back and report to me as soon as possible."

　Xiao Hei curled his lips nonchalantly and said, "Ji, we are all the Four Rakshasa Ghosts. I don't need to report everything to you."

　There was a moment of silence, and the other two people who were sitting quietly opened their eyes and looked at Xiao Hei with surprise in their eyes.

　The scarred woman narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you really a horse head?"

　"Can I be anyone else, Suzuka? What do you want to say?"

　Suzuka looked at Xiao Hei carefully and said hesitantly, "Your aura is very strange. Although I can confirm that you are Ma Tou, something has changed in you. It's a very, very big and strange change."

　Ji stood up, staring at Xiao Hei with gloomy eyes without blinking: "We'll know if it's a horse head after a test."

　"I advise you to forget it."

　The hidden blade popped out of the guard of the thorn, he licked the purple blade, and sneered: "Are you scared? My dagger is coated with poison, and it only takes one blow to make you ascend to heaven. If you are a horse head, you should be able to avoid my

　attack."

　Xiao Hei looked at the only sturdy man who remained silent and complained, "Zhu Tian, ​​you should also persuade this madman. The four Rakshasa ghosts did not act together just to cause internal strife."

　The bald, bearded man chuckled. "What's wrong with that? Successfully passing the Thorn Test will confirm your identity. If you fail or something unexpected happens, it will free your soul, freeing you from the suffering of the world."

　Xiao Hei reluctantly withdrew his gaze and tilted his head to look at Ji, "It seems I don't need to be polite."

　"You're welcome? You just need to save your life if you're lucky enough." Ji, one of the four Rakshasa ghosts, grinned, his body swayed and disappeared from the spot in an instant, and when he appeared in front of Xiao Hei, he swung a knife with his hand. His arm suddenly stretched several meters like a rubber band. Ordinary masters could never guard against this weird attack.

　Xiao Hei glanced at Ji, who was the most powerful of the four Rakshasa ghosts. In the Royal Fist Temple, where strength was respected, he naturally served as the captain of the four. In the past, Xiao Hei would never be his opponent.

　Speed, killing skills, physique, everything is inferior to him.

　But now, in Xiao Hei's eyes, Ji's movements were as slow as a snail. She saw through Ji's movements, heard the sound of the sharp blade piercing the air, and even had the leisure to count how many teeth Ji showed when he smiled.

　Everything stemmed from the changes in her body, and she relished this power. Even before, she was willing to pay any price to gain this power. She was glad she had taken on this job, which allowed her to gain power beyond the limits of the human body.

　Xiao Hei easily dodged Ji's hidden blade, swinging his body left and right, seemingly nonchalant but actually relaxed and steady.

　“He dodged it, how is that possible!?”

　The attack failed, and Ji was stunned. The bloodthirsty smile on his face disappeared and turned into naked murderous intent. He was the strongest among the four Rakshasa ghosts. He would kill whoever was stronger. This was the meaning of the name Rakshasa.

　He sped up! Like a raging storm, each strike aimed squarely at the vital points! The sharp blade whistled through the air, yet it still couldn't harm Xiao Hei, whom he had once considered trash.

　Escaped! ?

　Why was she able to escape?!

　The four Rakshasa ghosts who were watching were also shocked and confused. From Ji's speed, they could tell that he was using all his strength.

　"Ji, human ability has its limits. I've learned one thing from my training days: the more dangerous species you hunt, the more you struggle to survive, and the weaker you'll find humans."

　"What do you want to say?"

　Swah——

　Xiao Hei grabbed the rapidly attacking arm, his poisonous hidden blade only a few centimeters away from her neck. But her slender fingers were like iron clamps, and no matter how hard Spike exerted his strength, he couldn't penetrate even a little bit.

　Click——

　Xiao Hei twisted his right hand, and when Ji screamed in horror, he inserted his broken arm into his mouth, and the poisonous hidden blade directly pierced his skull. Ji died with his eyes open, and reached out tremblingly to grab Xiao Hei's right leg, and his head was crushed like a watermelon.

　"That's why I advised you to give up. You are very weak." Xiao Hei clapped his hands and smiled brightly at the corpse of his former companion.

　Xiao Hei looked at the remaining two Rakshasas and chuckled sweetly, "Do you have any other opinions?"

　Zhu Tian folded his arms and sighed, shaking his head: "I didn't expect that it was you who helped Ji free his soul."

　"Zhu Tian, ​​I can also help you liberate your soul."

　Zhu Tian replied solemnly, "That's not necessary. My purpose in living in this world is to liberate the souls of others, not to save myself."

　Zhu Tian, ​​one of the four Rakshasa ghosts, is a deeply conflicted figure in Xiao Hei's eyes. He is clearly an incorrigible executioner yet he calls himself a Buddha, claiming to kill in order to redeem his karma and free human souls from worldly suffering. Deep down, he considers himself a good person and wants to do good things.

　Xiao Hei was amused by his twisted logic: "You are really great, Suzuka, what about you?"

　Suzuka smiled brightly: "How about giving me a punch?"

　boom!

　As soon as Suzuka finished speaking, her body was blasted away, crashing down the mountain gate and falling in a mess. Her body, covered by rubble, was severely injured. She coughed up blood, but a happy and obsessed smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. Her moans were more charming than ever before: "This is the feeling, ah...ah...ah...I'm finally satisfied!"

　Suzuka, one of the Four Rakshasa, is a masochist.

　Xiao Hei chuckled and said, "Suzuka, this is a reward for you. Please help me write a report on the failed mission to the minister later. I need to go to the Black Forest."

　Suzuka climbed up, blood flowing from her abdomen. She staggered to Xiao Hei, knelt down and kissed the back of her feet, her smile sick and crazy: "Yes, Master."

　The Black Forest is one of the secret realms for cultivation in the Royal Fist Temple, and it is of the highest level. It is not known whether any one of the hundred cultivators who enter the Black Forest can survive. The Four Rakshasa Ghosts are the cultivators who walked out of the Black Forest, but they only managed to survive in the Black Forest.

　What Xiao Hei wants is to conquer the Black Forest and get rid of the Black Forest's overlord, the super dangerous mountain bear. She is sure that she has the strength to do so now.

　Xiao Hei hummed a little tune as he left the Royal Fist Temple, muttering proudly, "Giving that super dangerous creature to K, he'll be happy and give me a reward, right?"

　Chapter 229: Hunters and Night Raid Newcomers

　In the side hall of the imperial capital, the area provided for Esdeath to live in, four strange men gathered in a room, holding a notice of a night raid and having a heated discussion.

　[A group based on interest] 7978 7761

　7

　One is a dashing black-haired young man with a handsome, resolute appearance and a righteous character. He is the type who can easily win the favor of men, women, young and old.

　Will, born in the Imperial Navy, is the holder of the Imperial Artifact [Ashura Incarnation - Noble Chariot]. His ability is to summon armor that covers his entire body. His overall performance is better than Brand's Imperial Artifact [Devil Haunted - Operational Armor], but he lacks the transparency and explosive power of the armor.

　One is a handsome and elegant blond young man, wearing a white robe and a wing-shaped accessory on his hair. He has a feminine temperament and can easily be mistaken for a woman.

　Lan, formerly a rural teacher, is the holder of the Imperial Artifact [Thousand Miles Flying - Mostima], which, as the name suggests, is a wing-shaped Imperial Artifact that allows the holder to fly freely.

　One of them was shirtless, revealing his muscular body and three scars on his chest. If that were all, it would be fine. However, his head was completely covered by a white cloth mask, not even his hair was exposed, making him look like a pervert with masochistic tendencies.

　Borus, a member of the Imperial Incineration Corps, wields the Imperial Weapon [Purgatory Invocation - Rubigand], a flamethrower that can spew out flames that cannot be extinguished by water.

　The last person left was a middle-aged man in a suit and a white coat. He wore glasses and his every move was very feminine, the kind that could make men shudder.

　Dr. Fashion is an Imperial scientist with gay tendencies and the wielder of the Imperial Glove [God's Hand - Perfection]. This glove-shaped Imperial Glove allows the wielder to perform hundreds of times more precise movements. It is not suitable for combat, but has important uses in research and medical treatment.

　All four are members of the Hunters, a special police organization founded by Esdeath.

　The dashing young man, Will, slammed the night raid flyer on the table, clenched his right fist, and said indignantly, "How could such lawless criminals still exist in the imperial capital!"

　"Assassinating Lady Esdeath is such a dull joke." Bruce, a man with his head wrapped in white cloth, sat properly at the conference table and sighed.

　Lan, a blond man with a feminine temperament, pinched his chin and said cautiously, "We'll have to wait for Lady Esdeath's return to discuss this matter. We, the Hunters, were established to deal with Night Raid, which shows how seriously the Empire takes it. An organization valued by the Empire wouldn't act so rashly or make such a foolish decision. Our existence is enough to prove the strength of Night Raid. The martial arts tournament is to find more combat power to deal with Night Raid. So, if necessary, we need to persuade Lady Esdeath to cancel the competition. Dr. Fashion, what do you think?"

　Dr. Fashion, the effeminate man with glasses, glanced at the assassination notice from Night Raid. "Isn't that great? I have great confidence in Lady Esdeath's abilities. Besides, I'm short on experimental materials right now, and I'm very interested in the bodies of Imperial Gun Users... Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Don't worry, since these are my companions, I won't act without your consent."

　Will looked at Dr. Fashion in disbelief: "You really want to use us as experimental materials!"

　Dr. Fashion replied confidently: "What's wrong with that? Experimentation is fashion, experimentation is knowledge, ah - human body modification is the most beautiful art in the world. Hey, why are you sneaking around and distancing yourself from me - it really makes me sad -"

　Lan looked at the scenery outside the window and sighed, "Lady Esdeath has been gone for three days. It really makes me worried."

　While the four were discussing, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open. Esdeath, dressed in a military uniform, walked in unhappily and said, "Worry, I'm not weak enough to need my subordinates to worry about me. This is the only kind gesture I can accept."

　Will exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Esdeath!"

　Lan smiled and bowed: "You're back."

　Bruce stood up suddenly, straightened his body and saluted: "Thank you for your hard work."

　Esdeath looked around at the four of them and waved her hand, saying, "Enough of the nonsense. I've already understood the announcement from Night Raid. You all need to adjust your form and prepare for the Hunters' first fierce battle since their founding in three days.

　Dr. Fashion folded his arms and asked in confusion, "A fierce battle... Lady Esdeath seems to have a very high opinion of those assassins."

　Esdeath placed a hand on her slender waist and replied solemnly, "This is the purpose of our Hunters. It was fine in the past with the Night Raid. Although there were quite a few Imperial Artifact Users, they were all incompetent wretch. Until recently, the Night Raid has partnered with another mysterious organization, whose leader is a very troublesome individual."

　Dr. Fashion's interest grew stronger, and he pressed the issue, "Has Lady Esdeath ever fought him?"